The three individuals arrested in connection with the murder of a Belgian couple in April 2024 in southern Tenerife, will be tried by a jury. Judge Juan Manuel Fernández Martínez, presiding over the Court of Instruction number one in Arona, has issued an order to transition the preliminary proceedings in the investigation into the couple’s murder into a jury trial.

Details of the Investigation

The case involves three men, also of Belgian nationality, who were arrested as potential perpetrators of the crime after police investigations commenced in the spring of last year. Initial inquiries led to identifying the suspected individuals, many of whom resided in Adeje, very close to the couple’s home. It was discovered that two of these individuals had left the island for Belgium shortly after the events.

The investigators reported their findings to the presiding judge in Arona, who issued an international search and arrest warrant that resulted in the apprehension of the first two suspects with the help of Belgian police. They are Paul Michael A., aged 44, and his son, Lucas A., aged 23, who were extradited to Spain in mid-July, nearly a month after their arrest. They were brought to Tenerife where they testified before the judge handling the case at that time, who ordered both to be held in provisional custody without bail. A few days later, Massimo N., a middle-aged man also of Belgian origin, was located and is also currently in prison.

New Testimonies Ordered

The presiding judge in Arona has ordered additional evidence requested by the defendants to be collected

The Victims

The victims are Laura Trappeniers, aged 66, and her husband Marc Olbrechts, aged 71, who went missing in mid-April 2024. On the 27th of that month, the woman’s body was found floating in waters near the municipality of Arico, with a plastic bag over her head and both legs and one hand amputated. It took several days to identify her remains, and when the investigators confirmed her identity, they discovered that her husband was still missing and remains unaccounted for. It is suspected he was also murdered, and that the assailants disposed of his body in a similar manner to that attempted with the woman.

Investigation Developments

The vehicle owned by Laura Trappeniers and Marc Olbrechts was found at the end of June last year in the tourist area of Costa Adeje. Friends of Laura Trappeniers mentioned to investigators that the couple had been very worried days before they vanished on April 22, reportedly having received death threats related to a property they owned.

The magistrate has also ordered a series of tests proposed by the defence teams of the three accused, which include final witness statements, the delivery of the definitive autopsy report conducted on the woman, and the issuance of a technical report on the geolocation of the accused’s mobile phones during the dates the crimes are alleged to have occurred.